Flash floods and travel disruptions as heavy rain falls overnight

Parts of England have been hit by travel disruption after a night of heavy rain and flash flooding.

A section of the M5 near Bristol is flooded and was closed after motorists had to be rescued from their cars, and there is rail disruption in parts of the Midlands and southern England.

Several flood warnings are in force due to rising river levels following days of heavy rain across the country.

At 06:00 BST, the Environment Agency counted 66 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding was expected and 118 less severe flood warnings.

All Met Office weather warnings have now expired, but localized disruption is expected to affect some areas throughout Friday morning.

The M5 is closed between junctions 14 and 16. Avon Fire and Rescue Service said it was working with National Highways to rescuing people stuck in their car after it has been flooded by rainwater.

In Birmingham, a man had to be rescued by the police when his car was submerged in floodwaters on Thursday evening and a car became stranded near Stourbridge.

In Oxfordshire, flooding left roads submerged and blocked railway lines between Bicester North and Banbury.

Journeys between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton have been affected by flooding in Wellington in Shropshire.

In Bedfordshire, there are fears the River Great Ouse could flood at Kempston and a school has been closed due to staff and students being unable to travel.

In Gloucestershire, Tewkesbury Town Council distributed sandbags to residents to protect their homes from flooding.

Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire councils confirmed a number of road closures and sought to reassure residents that they were working to keep people safe overnight.

Areas of northern England received the most rain, with Flyingdales in North Yorkshire receiving a month’s worth of rain (81mm) in two days.

The rainfall of recent days adds to what has been an incredibly wet September for some in the south of England.

In Woburn, Bedfordshire, there was four times more rainfall than usual for this time of year, making this September the wettest month on record in the town.

Many other places in Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Herefordshire have received three times their monthly rainfall in recent days.

Further flooding is possible on Friday as rivers will continue to rise after the rains subside.

Stephen Basterfield, director of the National Highways Network, said people planning to travel by car should “adjust their driving behavior and take extra care”.

Some areas expected to experience the heaviest rain overnight had already seen record rainfall in September this month.

Parts of Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire, in particular, recorded rainfall three times higher than normal in September.

The rain is expected to clear later on Friday and the forecast is drier for the weekend, with less heavy rain expected.

Temperatures are expected to drop across the country. BBC Weather is monitoring the prospect of wetter and windier weather arriving later on Sunday and Monday.